Assassin's Creed
by YoungestCullen8
Summary: Clint and Natasha are sent out on a mission. When it goes awry, Natasha is sent off to bring in help, leaving Clint on his own with the person they're protecting. Clint has to keep his wits about him or be outmatched. Can he do it?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I just saw The Avengers for the second time and this is what came of it.

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"This is your new target," Nick Fury said as he handed two of his best assassins their files. He nodded to his right hand and an image popped up. "This is Wilhelm, and yes, that's the only name we know him as. He's been working on a new training program that upon further investigation has put him as the number one person on our list."

"What has he done that's so vile?" the woman asked.

Fury put another photo up on the screen as another file was passed around. "Her name is Zakk Parker. She was his number one trainee. In actuality she was the one person he did all of his crazy experiments on. Many of them didn't take effect but a select few have. She has a photographic memory, is able to pilot anything that flies, has been trained in various forms of hand to hand combat, and is a weapons expert. She can be very lethal if he's trained her to be the ultimate assassin."

The man looked up. "You mean we're going after an assassin?"

"Precisely. She's been very hard to get in contact with. She's been running from Wilhelm since we took out his facilities. He's been on the loose."

"So what's our goal?"

"Find the girl and bring her back. If you find Wilhelm, kill him no questions asked." Fury looked at the two of them speculatively. "You're the only two who can do this."

"Why not call in the rest of the team?" the woman asked.

"You two know how to handle this situations a hell of a lot better than the others. Besides, Banner's on the down low again. We're letting him breathe. The captain and tin man are doing their own thing and we haven't heard from the god. You're the only two who can do it."

The two assassins looked at each other then stood and went to their jet waiting in the hangar.

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Zakk dropped to the ground and rolled under the dumpster as the explosion rocked the ground around her. Running was getting old. She didn't even spare the thought as she rolled to her right and got up, putting pressure on her bummed leg to get moving.

She had been asleep in her bed when Sonia had walked in. Sonia had been her only reason for staying in one place for so long. If the fourteen-year-old girl hadn't been sick, Zakk would have been miles away. But the girl had gotten pneumonia two days before she had booked. Zakk couldn't leave her while she was ill so she stayed. That hadn't been the best idea.

Their home had been bombed. Zakk barely had time to get Sonia out and into a safe place before fighting back. As she was pulling the sick girl behind her, another bomb went off. Shrapnel went flying all over the place and a piece embedded itself in her leg. She had no way to pull it out before getting Sonia to safety so she had left it.

One of her safe houses had volunteered to take in Sonia and get her medical treatment. Zakk had been grateful she had a place to drop off her little friend and not worry about her. Once she was safely stowed away, she had barreled out as fast as her bummed leg would allow her.

Her mind had thrummed with adrenaline as she ran down the streets of Leipzig. For a country town, the place had many places a person could hide. She needed to get out of the open and into seclusion so she could find a safe place and tend her leg. If she didn't, it would fester and she could probably lose her leg. That couldn't happen if she wanted to run.

When she was certain she was in a part of the city where she could see if someone showed up, she looked around. There was a small alcove and it was out of sight. Sighing, she limped towards it and slumped down. She pulled out her knife and cut her pant leg to her thigh, making that side shorts. There was a piece of metal in her leg. Groaning, she pulled it out and staunched the blood flow with the inside of her cut pants. She pulled out gauze and wrapped her leg after disinfecting it.

She couldn't stay here. She had to get somewhere safer, but she was too tired to move. She needed to get some painkillers in her before she passed out from the pain. But to get the meds meant she had to move and moving meant more pain. Sleep would be inevitable because of said pain so she was in a jam either way.

"I think she went this way," she heard someone say.

"Great," she mumbled.

Zakk hefted her body up and began to move again, wincing every time she jarred her leg. She turned the corner and ran right into a well-fitted guy. He looked as shocked as she was. He was decked out with archery gear that forced his muscles to bulge where they cut off.

"Zakk?" he asked. As answer to his question, she turned and bolted. "Nat, I found her!"

"Where is she?" a distorted voice said from somewhere behind him and to the right.

"On the run. Cut her off on the north side." She heard pounding feet behind her. "Zakk! Wait! We're not going to hurt you."

Sure and she was a monkey's uncle. Against the pain in her leg, she put on a burst of speed. She heard him curse behind her as he had to push it as well. Coming up there was a fire escape. She scaled a car in her path, grunting as pain ricocheted up her leg and spine. She grabbed the fire escaped and shimmied up the metal rungs. Once she was safely on the roof, she turned to look back at her pursuer. He was climbing after her, meaning she had to move. Turning once again, she bolted, jumping the buildings with ease.

"Can't you keep up with her?" his partner asked in his ear.

"Well, if you want to cut her off, Nat, go right ahead. She's quick but I think she's hurt. She's favoring her right leg and I think I saw gauze wrapped around it," he replied as he took to running across the rooftops.

"Then she should be fairly easy to catch."

"Tell me that when I get my hands on her. I think she thinks we're after her because Wilhelm sent us."

"Won't she be surprised." It was a statement, not a question.

He heard a yelp of pain. Dropping his head, he put on some speed so he could get to wherever she was.

He found her minutes later. She had tripped and hit her head on a metal bar. He sighed as he kneeled beside her. She was blond headed and that hair was pulled into a severe braid, obviously pulled back to keep it out of her face. She was slim from all the workouts she had been subjected to. He braced one knee on the ground and lifted her.

"I got her, Nat. Have the plane brought around." He looked down at his charge, wondering if she was going to fight when she woke up.


	2. Chapter 2

Zakk jolted awake. She had just had a horrible dream. She had been putting Sonia in a safe place when a bomb went off. It felt so real she could feel the sting of the shrapnel. She could have sworn her muscles ached because she had run into a man then run away from him. That was the last she could remember of her dream.

"You're awake."

She looked up and came face to face with the man from her dream. Only now looking at him, it wasn't a dream. She had gotten bitten by shrapnel and had run into a man only to turn away from him and run. Had he caught her? No, she had fallen.

"What happened?" she asked. Her voice was raspy as if it hadn't been used in a while.

He smiled down at her as he set a glass of water at her bedside. "You ran into me then from me. I finally caught up to you after you fell and hit your head. You're pretty fast for a small woman."

"It's the way I was trained." She took the water from the table and gulped it down greedily. "How long was I out?"

"Three days. The hit to the head was nasty. There was a lot of blood but that's normal for head wounds." She tried to smile but it didn't work too well. "I'm not here to hurt you, Zakk."

She stilled. "How do you know my name?" A sudden thought erupted on the spot. "Were you sent here by Wilhelm?"

He shook his head. "No. We're after him as well. Our job was to bring you in for security reasons. Are you involved with Wilhelm?"

"Why would I be involved with the man who stole me from my home as a child, forced me to do and take things I didn't want and tried to kill me when I ran away?"

"You ran away?" She nodded as she finished off the water. "What did he do to you?"

"Maybe we should start off with what he didn't do." She looked up at him and in blue eyes that mirrored her own. Tilting her head, she gazed at him with a trained eye. "You obviously know my name. What's yours?"

He smiled and stood up. "Clint Barton."

He was taken back at her smile. "Hawkeye."

The smile itself would have kicked him in the ribs but the fact that she knew his codename meant she knew him on a personal level. Or she had hacked S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files and found him.

He was about to answer when his partner came in. "Hey, Nat."

The red head looked at the other woman cautiously. "Should we be using familiars?"

"It doesn't matter. She knows who we are."

Natasha nodded. "I have to head back. We're going to need more supplies and probably more man power. Wilhelm has issued a hefty sum on her head should anyone bring her back alive. You need to lay low while I'm gone."

"Does that mean we're cramped her until you get back?"

She nodded. "Yeah, or at least until she's able to move without the pain. If you deem it appropriate move her to a safe house. Let us know if you do. If you don't, I should be gone only a week." Clint nodded at her and Natasha nodded at Zakk before walking out.

Zakk looked at the man she was suddenly left with. He was competent considering he had obviously carried her here and had been fighting to get to her. She watched as he moved about the small room gathering clothes. As she looked closer, she noticed they were her clothes. He had gone through her bag and was getting ready to do her clothes. Luckily she was wearing her only good bra and underwear. Upon furthering noticing, she realized she wasn't wearing either of those items. Her face flamed.

"Um…" He turned around at her voice. "Who undress me because these aren't my clothes?"

"Nat did. I told her I wasn't going to touch an unconscious woman. She cleaned you up and dressed you, leaving the wound tending to me. I dressed your wound but that's about it." He smiled at her red face. "I would never do that unless you told me I could so don't worry." He watched her slump in relief. "You should rest. You were running fever only yesterday."

She watched him as he walked into another part of the house, just out of her sight. She could hear him on the other side of the wall. Obviously they were in a house. It seemed like it was small. If she was correct, there was only one room. That meant he slept on the couch in the living room. Ever the gentleman.

She tried to remain still and get some rest but unfortunately, nature called. Swinging her legs off the side of the bed, she went to stand only to gasp in pain and slump to the floor. Pain rocketed up her spine from her leg. If she didn't get to the bathroom now, there would be an unhappy puddle on the floor.

"Hey, I thought I said rest," Clint said as he came back in the room and kneeled beside her.

"I need to go to the bathroom but it hurts to walk," she replied as tears stung her eyes.

"Wrap your arms around my neck. I'll help you."

She did as he said and he lifted her from the floor. He carried her to the bathroom, covering his eyes when she went to do her business. When she was done, he lifted her once again and carried her back to the bed in the small bedroom. She didn't say a word as he disappeared for a few moments. He was carrying two plates when he came back with silverware tucked into his pockets. He handed one plate to her and a fork, keeping the other to himself.

"I'm not the best but I can make enough to keep me alive," he said.

"You don't have to justify it. Being an assassin must be harder than it seems," she replied.

"It is." Sticking the fork in his mouth, he looked up in time to see her stab a piece of meat and stick it in her mouth, sighing happily and chewing methodically. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Three days ago. We only had enough food for one of us to eat so I gave it to Sonia because she was sick. That night we were attacked and I stashed her away with a friend of mine. I haven't talked to her in two days."

"We have enough food here so eat as much as you want. You'll be with us for a while so you might as well be healthy." He watched her eat again and so many questions burned through his head. The only that seemed to be worth mentioning was one he wasn't sure he wanted to hear but the more information about her he got from her, the better he was going to be at his job.

Clint waited until she was done with her dinner and relaxing back against the pillows before he got the nerve to ask. He scooted the chair closer to the bed and leaned his elbow on it with his head in his hand. She looked down at him, the girl with the guy's name.

"So…" He took a deep breath. "Where are you from?"

He wasn't ready for the shrug or the answer. "I don't know. I was taken from my home when I was two and raised in the facility. I trained every day since I was five. Anything before that I don't remember."

"You were so young. How old are you now?"

"Thirty-two. I've been at this for seventeen years. It's not fun. When others were going to school and being normal kids, I was locked in a room putting together semiautomatics and learning the chemicals in explosives and how to make them." She looked at him. "Sorry. This must bore you."

"Actually it's helping me determine the best way to protect you. You can keep talking if you like. I really don't mind." He smiled when she yawned. "I guess you do though. Get some sleep. I'll be in the living room should you need anything."

Zakk watched him turn out the light and walk into the other room. The couch was in view so she watched him flop out on it. She didn't have the courage to ask him to stay. There was no way he could know she hated sleeping alone. For the last three months it had been Sonia, a girl she was taking care of, that kept the nightmares at bay. With her gone, Zakk hadn't slept a wink. Unless she was unconscious as she had been for the last two days. But even those dreams had been terrifying.

Turning onto her side, she tried to go to sleep only to toss and turn.


	3. Chapter 3

"Zakk. Zakk. Zakk, wake up."

She jolted awake and found herself holding on to Clint's upper arms with a vice grip. Tears were pooling in her eyes as she looked up at him. His face softened and he reached up to wipe them away with his thumbs. After that tender moment, she relaxed enough to let go. He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his eyes.

"Jesus, woman. You were screaming bloody murder and I didn't know what the hell was going on," he said as he covered a yawn. He was down to his pants and that was it.

She shrunk down under the covers. "Sorry. What time is it?"

"It's three a.m." He finally looked up into her face. Sleep riddled his features. He must have been dead asleep until she had woken him. "What were you dreaming about?" She blanched and shook her head, her eyes going far away. "All right. I get it. You don't want to talk about it. That's fine. I'll just go back to bed." Before he made it two feet, her hand snaked out and grabbed his wrist. "What is it?"

"Please don't go. I haven't slept in two days because I have night terrors and can't sleep alone. That's what that was. A night terror. I don't know how to get them to go away so I usually don't sleep unless I absolutely need to or I sleep with the lights on or curled up beside someone. It's usually Sonia but she's not here."

Clint held up a hand for her to stop babbling then used it to rub his face. Boy was he tired. He looked at her, so small and somewhat terrified of the man who was taking care of her until they could decide what to do with her. Sighing, he nodded.

"Scoot over."

Zakk was slightly surprised when he agreed so suddenly but she did as he asked. He slid in beside her and immediately warmed the bed. He was overly conscious of her right leg and made sure to stay on the left side. He was settled before she even wrapped her mind around him agreeing to help her. He smiled when he caught her looking down at him.

"Are you going to lie back because I'd like to turn the light off and get back to sleep."

She smiled and nestled back under the covers, feeling better immediately because of his solid presence. When he leaned over her and flipped the light off, she caught a whiff of his scent and it was somewhat intoxicating.

"Go to sleep," he muttered before he dropped off.

She finally did after a few moments of frightened thoughts.

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Clint was somewhat shocked when he woke up in the same bed as the woman. Then his mind flashed back to early that morning when he had been jolted from his sleep when she screamed at the top of her lungs. He had been secretly glad they were miles away from any neighbors who might think he was killing her, especially when he got into the room to wake her up. That had taken him twenty minutes to do. Whatever had her in its grasp, she had been too far in it to hear him. He had had to shake her hard, making him think she had bruises from where his hands had been.

He remembered the haunted look in her eyes when the snapped open and focused on him. And the tears that had rolled down her cheeks told him it had been a terrible nightmare, one she couldn't shake alone. So he had waited for her calm down before attempting to venture back to the living room for some much needed sleep.

Only she hadn't let him go. The hand on his wrist had shaken violently but he didn't let on. He had been surprised when she asked him to sleep in the same bed. His first thought had been she was being absurd and it was just the fever talking but then she explained what was going on and he understood. Instead of fighting with her he had climbed in with her and dropped off when he was certain she was comfortable.

When he got up this morning, Zakk was curled around him, her right leg tossed over his. He hadn't wanted to move her and he didn't for a while, opting for running his hand down her shoulder and arm like it was natural for him to do it. After a while, he had to get up and take care of some business, personal and work.

After all was said and done, he started on breakfast. He hadn't been lying when he said the house was stocked with everything. He had various types of coffees, teas, milks, juices, and even beers. Food was in abundance so he set about making pancakes, bacon and eggs. Cooking was easy for him since he had done it for so long, but never like this. He had never taken a charge before so he didn't know what he was supposed to do. He knew what he had done last night was a no no but it was to keep her from screaming the rest of the night.

"Clint?"

He turned the stove off and went into the bedroom. She was a sight as he leaned against the door frame. Blond hair mussed from sleeping on her side. Blue eyes filled with sleep. He realized he had small smile on his face and tried to wipe it off but failed miserably.

"Yeah?" he replied after minute.

She opened her eyes after trying to blink the sleep out of them. "I need to go to the bathroom. Can you help me please?"

He smiled at that and entered the bedroom. He swung her up into his arms, wincing as she cried out in pain. She buried her face in his neck and breathed through it. He carried her to the bathroom and waited patiently as she did what she had to do. She turned to him when she was finished. This time instead of taking her back to the bed, he carried her out to the living room and placed her on the couch for breakfast.

"You know," he said as he sat down on the floor on the other side of the table after bringing the food to the table. "I have never cooked for another woman other than Natasha."

"Well, that's a waste of good talent," she replied taking a big bite of pancakes. "This is really good."

"Do you know how to cook?"

She shook her head as she sipped the juice he had brought over. "No. My talents lie elsewhere."

"I could teach you a few things while you're here."

"Clint, we're only going to be here for a week."

"At the least. We may be here longer."

She smiled at him. "I have no way of knowing that I'll be in one place at a time. I wouldn't need to know it. I just need to know where my exits are and my next destination."

Clint stopped eating, his fork poised over his next bite of pancakes. "You really do think he will find you."

"He has before and his punishments are even more brutal than the last time."

"Is that where the cross shaped scar on your shoulder came from?"

Her eyes narrowed at him. "How do you know about that?"

"Your shirt sleeve rode up when you were asleep. I woke up and happened to see it." It was a bold faced lie but he knew she wouldn't know the difference. He couldn't rightly tell her it was because he had been rubbing her shoulder and the sleeve rode up. The scar was puckered and white but faded, like she had gotten it years ago. "What did he do?"

"Branding iron."

His face tightened as his anger built. "He used a branding iron on you?"

"It was one of the many punishments I've endured." She finished her breakfast and began to rise. When he went with her, she held her hand up and shook her head. "I'm going to get a shower. I'll call you when I need you."

Clint watched her hobble into the bedroom, listening as she inhaled sharply when she jarred her leg. The sound of the shower told him she made it safely. When he was certain she hadn't fallen down, he got up to clean up the mess.

The woman had gone through hell and paid the ultimate price for it. What kind of monster would do that to a woman? Women were supposed to be the ones men took care of, not beat. He figured some men were just insane enough to lay their hands on a woman hoping she wouldn't do anything in return. Oh, poor Wilhelm. If they didn't get their hands on him, Zakk surely would. And she would make him pay. With that thought in mind, he set about cleaning the dishes and getting ready for his first report without Natasha around.


	4. Chapter 4

After two days Clint was convinced Zakk wasn't going to talk to him. After he had asked her where she had gotten the cross shaped scar, she had clammed up. After her shower, she dressed in one of his shirts and her only pair of pants that weren't ripped. Her shirts were in tatters so that left his.

Lunch and dinner had been a silent affair on the first day. He had still crawled in bed with her that night just to keep her from screaming all night. The next day had been a recount of the first, and the third the same as the second.

By the time the fourth day rolled around, he was getting frustrated, not only mentally but sexually as well. Sleeping with her every night was beginning to get unnerving. He would always wake up holding her closely, her scent invading his every sense. It was getting ridiculous.

He watched as she walked around the living room. Her limp was better but he could tell it was still bothering her. She had been watching him closely lately, as if watching his move to see where his weaknesses were. That was going to be hard for her to find but he figured she could do it. She was trained to do it, however.

His mind was buzzing when his alarms started going off. Hacking his own systems, he got into the network immediately.

"What's going on?" Zakk asked as she came in the room. Her blond hair was piled on her head in messy bun.

"Someone's hacked my systems," he replied. After a few minutes he scowled. "We've been compromised. We've got to go." He started unplugging stuff before he even realized she wasn't there. "Zakk?"

She returned with their bags and began helping load all the equipment and some food. He didn't say a word as he helped her. Within minutes they were packed and heading out the door. Zakk stopped and turned to listen to something that obviously wasn't there. Clint turned around and looked at her.

"Zakk, we have to go now."

"Hurry. There's an incoming missile," she said as she hopped in the first seat as gingerly as she could.

He knew her instincts were right on, especially when something blew the house up as they barreled way from it. He looked at her as she looked out the rearview window. Something in her gaze told him she knew who had sent that missile. He also knew but the look on his face just confirmed it for him. Without thinking, he took her hand and laced his fingers with her. She simply looked down at it but didn't say a word. He thought he had done something wrong until her fingers curled around his.

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Zakk sighed sleepily as she shifted in her seat. Five hours on the road and they were just now passing the Finnish border. Clint must have been stopped at every check point.

Looking out the window, she saw the water. It was murky but it looked inviting. She had been cooped up for the last five days; two she had been sleeping and three moping around a house with she barely knew but was attracted to. That was a very dangerous combination.

She looked to her left. Clint handled the car with experience and ease, taking the turns like an expert. He was quiet, probably brooding because she had steadily ignored him. She didn't know what the hell was going on between them and she needed a little bit of space to figure it out. It wasn't like she had ever done this before. All her life she had been training and never once had romance come into the picture. But now she had this bulk of a man at her side.

Uncomfortable in the seat because she had been sitting for too long and her leg was stiff, she shifted, unconsciously gripping Clint's leg as she did. He gasped slightly but bit down it. The car was small. She couldn't know what was going on.

"Where are we going?" she asked as she turned on her left side and began pulling her leg to her chest then extending it.

"We have a safe house in Helsinki. I don't think Wilhelm can find us there," he replied.

"You underestimate your opponent. There's a facility on the Russian border."

"Well, I guess we'll have to ignore that then won't we?" He glanced over as she sucked in a sharp breath and gritted her teeth, something he noticed she did when she was in severe pain. "Are you okay?"

"Just cramped. My leg's starting to hurt."

"We can stop so you can stretch. I can get us something to eat as well."

After a few moments of thought, she nodded. Clint easily pulled the car into a petrol station. After checking the area, he let her out and escorted her to the door. He grabbed various junk foods as he watched her walk about the small store. She was limping even more from being cooped up in the car for a few hours.

As he was checking out, she limped over to him, grim faced. He knew the look instantly.

"Three at two o'clock and on at ten. Black SUV has pulled up right behind us. Tags say it's Wilhelm's crew," she mumbled.

"We have to assume they've tagged the car. How good are you with detection?" he asked as they started for the door. He kept one hand on the small of her back to make it look like they were a couple.

"Right passenger door." He looked down at her with a breathtaking smile. "I saw the little red button when I was coming to you."

"Can you drive on that bummed leg?"

She smirked at him and took the keys before getting in the driver's seat. This was going to jar her leg and put her in further discomfort but she was going to get them to safety as fast as she could.

When the engine roared to life, she stepped on the clutch and the break at the same time just to get a feel of the car. When she was certain she knew how to handle it, she shifted into first gear and pulled out of the petrol station. She waited until she was out of the city before shifting into another gear and heading towards Helsinki.

Clint watched her as she focused on her task. She was single-minded to the point of recklessness. He had remembered that from her file. It was how she had managed to escape from Wilhelm time and time again. She had been trained to focus on one issue until it was complete.

While she was driving, he began donning his archery equipment. Slinging his quiver on his back, he jerked his bow until it expanded. She was looking at him with humor in her electric blues.

"Open the sun roof," he said.

"How the hell did you get a cool car like this? You don't see these outside France, Germany, or Switzerland," she said.

"I have good connections." She snorted in response. "Keep her steady. I'm going to take care of our friends." He stood in the seats with one foot in his seat and the other securely in her lap. She gasped. "Sorry. Can you tolerate it for a little bit?"

"Just do your job."

With her growl, he stood all the way up and situated an arrow. Pulling it from the quiver, he knocked it then let it loose when he was certain the car was steady. It hit the tire and the first car jolted to the side, leaving the second car on its own.

"Shit," he heard Zakk whisper. "Hang on."

Clint barely had time to grip the roof of the car as she swerved to the right. He looked to his right. There was another black SUV turning around on the side of the road. He groaned in annoyance.

"Hold her steady!' he called over the wind as he began to get ready to fire. Bullets sprayed all around him, forcing him to duck back into the car. "Damn, they have semiautomatics."

"Then face fire with fire," she replied. They shared a brief glance at each other. "My bag. Front pocket."

Clint reached around and pulled the dark green bag into his lap. He opened the front pocket and pulled out a disassembled military grade weapon. His head snapped to her. "Where the hell did you get this?"

"It was one of the weapons I took before I destroyed the military lab of the facility. I had an AK but it was destroyed when my house was destroyed." She glanced at him. "Well? Put it together and get to work."

He was astounded for a few moments but then he put the gun together and loaded it. "You're a piece of work, you know that?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just get them off our tails. I don't know how much longer my leg can hold out."

He laid cover fire for them as they continued down the road. He knew they were getting close to the Finnish main road. These guys had to be gone before that happened. He didn't want any innocents getting in the way. That could always be bad.

He cursed as the car swerved to avoid hitting a moose. This wasn't getting them anywhere. There was another curse, this time not from him.

"What is it?"

"Look ahead."

He kept firing as he looked over his shoulder. There was a blockade a mile up the road. "Ah, shit! This is not our day."

"We have one of two options. We can either drive headlong into that fray or we can ditch the car and go on foot."

"If we do that, we'll be silent for the rest of the trip. There will be no communications out here."

"I understand that but this is Wilhelm we're going up against. He won't stop until he has his most valuable asset back. Then out of spite, he'll kill me and make you watch. I prefer living over all of that."

"But I like this car."

"Do you like your life more?" She had a point. He slumped down into the car and disassembled the gun before putting it back in her bag. He slung his stuff over his shoulder and looked at her expectantly. "I need something to jam on the accelerator." He handed her an umbrella. She smiled at him. "Predictable." She did as she said she would and jammed the umbrella in on the accelerator. "Ready?"

"Once we jump, lay low. I'll come find you at dusk," he said. He gripped her hand hard. "Be careful."

She nodded and sucked in a breath. "Here we go."

On the count of three, they threw their doors open and jumped. Zakk rolled to her left, pulling her leg to her chest to avoid damaging it further. She rolled into a tree then moved around it. As quickly as she could muster, she dug a makeshift alcove and burrowed in it. She pulled leaves over her body to make it look natural and waited. Clint said he'd find her. She just had to make sure she stayed hidden until he got to her.


	5. Chapter 5

"What's happened?" Fury asked.

"We've lost Agent Barton and Parker, sir," Natasha said over the view screen. "I left them in Bavaria. He said he'd contact us when he moved her and I haven't heard anything. That was three days ago. I have reason to believe they got into some trouble."

Fury looked at the screen. Barton would never do anything against protocol. If he had to move the charge because he thought it was too dangerous, he would and then he'd contact them later. By doing just that, he made his message loud and clear. He was in danger.

"From this moment on, Agent Barton is classified as compromised. We will need all available agents on this case. Let's bring our man home."

"Yes, sir." On the other end, Natasha made a vow to herself. "I'm coming for you, Clint. Hang tight."

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Clint watched Zakk as she rewrapped her leg. After they had jumped from the car and listened to it smash into the barricade. He had waited until the men were done scouring the area for them. If he knew Zakk any better, he knew she had found some place to lay low until he could get to her. The area was wet so he knew they were close to the lake. There was a hunting cabin nearby. If he could get to her, he could get them there and they could eat something and clean up, but he had to get to her first.

He heard the men as they clambered into their cars. He waited until he couldn't hear the engines anymore then took off across the road. He didn't say a word until he was ensconced in trees.

"Zakk?" he whispered harshly.

"Over here."

He turned to his left and found her in a small cutout with bushes covering her. He took her extended hand and helped her to her feet. She winced as their legs collided. He looked down and say her pants stained red. Her wound had reopened.

As quickly as he could, he moved them through the Finnish wilderness. His mind wanted to tell him all the gory details should they not make it, but he refused to believe it. He would keep her alive even if it cost him his life.

The little cabin had been a welcomed sight as it loomed in front of them. On a slight inclined plane, giving them a good view of the lake to their rear and the tree line to their front. He had gotten Zakk into the small building then immediately went to draw water to boil. He didn't know how much damage had been done to her already damaged leg but he wasn't willing to let it sit there much longer.

After the water was hot enough, Clint had pulled off the pants and unwrapped Zakk's leg. It was bloodied and bruised and upon further investigation, he found out it was more bruised than bloodied. The wound had just reopened but it had healed enough in the days she had been with him that it didn't bleed as much as it had when it was fresh. She had hissed when the hot water on the rag made contact with the tender flesh on her leg but she didn't move.

When he was done, he sat back and allowed her to wrap her leg herself. He stood back to watch the effectiveness of her fingers as she wrapped the gauze around her thigh. She did it quickly and quietly, trying her best to keep the pain off her face. It didn't work too well but she was a trooper.

He watched as she stood and restocked the first aid kit. He was suddenly glad he had thought to pack it. After a minute she looked at him. There was something in her eyes that told him she was thinking about something she had obviously never thought about before. He had an idea what it was about.

He cleared his throat. "I'm letting your pants soak for the time being. There was blood all over them."

She nodded. 'That's fine. I don't mind walking around like this. I mean it's only you and I'm used to that by now." The smile she offered him was shy,

There was a little bit of a tense moment between them as they stared at each other. They knew the other wasn't going to run but they weren't sure what the other would do. Getting up the courage, Zakk began to walk past him. Clint wasn't going to allow that. He caught her arm gently and tugged her to face him. They stared at each other for a long minute before Clint lifted his hands to her face. Licking his lips, he made sure to make eye contact with her until he lowered his mouth to hers.

Zakk inhaled sharply as his mouth worked over hers. He was her protector and he was kissing her. It was a little nerve wracking but as she relaxed into it, she found she like it. Shifting her feet, she brought her arms up around his neck and pulled him closer. He let his arms go around her waist and pull her flush against him.

Clint was surprised when she found the straps holding his quiver to his back. Unbuckling it, she let it slide off and thump on the ground. She pulled the zipper on his shirt down and shoved it off his shoulders. He couldn't be outdone so he lifted the hem of her shirt up and over her head. He inhaled sharply.

Her flesh was riddled with scars. He knew who they were from and the anger on her behalf continue to build. He dropped to his knees and pulled her towards him. She gazed down at him warily. He kept his eyes on her as he pressed a kiss to the long scar on her belly. A smile graced his face as her hands gripped his hair.

"We don't have to do this," he whispered against her belly as his hands rubbed soothing circles along her back. She looked down at him with a heated gaze that told him everything he needed to know. He stood. "You might want to take those off on your own." She nodded and he turned his back to her so he could give her some semblance of privacy before they did this.

When he turned back around, Zakk was sitting on the bed with her feet drawn together and knees drawn up to where they were covering up everything. He stepped into her personal space and unfolded her. She smiled shyly up at him as he lifted her then placed her at the head of the bed before covering her with his own body.

"I'm serious," he said again when he was inches from her face. "We don't have to do this." He closed his eye as her hands framed his face and she kissed him. When he looked down at her again, he had lost all his fight. "Okay."

Zakk adjusted her body as Clint move to lie between her legs. He was careful of her bandaged thigh as he bent her legs and planted her feet on either side of his hips. She knew he was watching her reaction so she kept her breathing tamed and her body relaxed.

The air left her lungs as he kissed her roughly. He used his teeth to tug on her bottom lip then swiped his tongue along it to lave away the pain. He began trailing kisses from the corner of her mouth to her neck. Zakk brought her hands up to his head to hold him in place as he nipped his way across her clavicle.

His mouth trailed lower and she lost all conscious thought. The feelings that ricocheted from deep inside her to land on her skin was palpable. Her skin prickled with anticipation of his next move. Because she didn't have any decent experience with this, she was letting him have free reign. It took a lot of courage and trust to allow him to do that. She had to trust him with her life.

Her back arched off the bed as he ventured in a place no one had ever touched calmly before. Any other time had been rough and brutal and she had chewed through her lip to keep from screaming. If she had, she would have been beaten even worse. Now, Clint was treasuring it like he thought she was the most precious thing in the world. It made her want to cry in relief.

Clint lifted his head to look up at Zakk. Her head was titled back on the pillow with blond hair spilling out behind it. Her chest rose and fell in time of her soft pants. She was something from a painting. Rising up on his hands and knees, he crawled back up the bed and relaxed on top of her. He framed her face and rubbed his fingers up and down her cheeks until she opened her eyes. Her pupils were dilated.

"Do you know what comes next?" he asked quietly. After a few deep breaths she nodded. His mouth twitched. "Okay. It's going to be painful."

"Not as painful as the other times," she mumbled.

He frowned. "Other times?"

She shook her head. "Forget I said anything."

"That's not something I can do." He tipped her head up so she was looking at him. "Did Wilhelm do this to you?"

"He said it had to be done so I could be strong."

"He used you sexually? Then why the hell are you doing this with me?"

"Because I want one time where I'm not biting my lip to hide the pain. And because I actually like you."

Clint stared at the woman in a mixture of shock and pride. She had been used and abused by a crazy man and yet here she was giving herself to him. It made no sense to him but he wasn't going to argue. He leaned down and kissed her gently. It was to tell her that he understood what she was saying and that he liked her as well.

He rose up on his elbows so she wasn't bearing all his weight. "Here we go. Relax. I won't hurt you."

Zakk gripped the sheet as he entered her. It took a few moments for her to adjust to the sudden pain at being filled to the brim. She felt him shaking as he waited for her to adjust. He gently coaxed her legs around his waist when she nodded. He set a slow pace and smiled when she met him thrust for thrust, tilting her hips to drive him deeper.

This time pleasure overrode the pain. Each time he moved, he rubbed something that caused ecstasy to explode over every nerve ending she had. It was a mind numbing experience that she didn't want to end. If Wilhelm had treated her like this- with care and compassion- she would have been a little more receiving to some of his training.

It soon became too unbearable for her. She started to squirm as something built deep within her belly. Clint had to hold her still as she started to move too much. He leaned down and kissed her as she fell over the edge, taking him with her.

Afterwards, Clint slipped back and collapsed on the bed beside Zakk, pulling her to him. He felt the aftershocks rippling through her as she came down from her high. This was something he couldn't put in his log at all.

"Will it always be like that?" he heard her ask.

He couldn't help but laugh at the question. "In theory yes, but it's different every time." He rubbed her bare shoulder and felt her relax even further. "If you want to sleep, that's fine. I can get dinner ready and put your pants by the fire to dry."

When she nodded, he left her to pull on his pants. At the moment he was happy the cabin was an open floor plan. The bed was in front of the fire place, giving her enough warmth to sleep without any clothes on and he knew she would because she was too tired to pull them back on. Once she dropped off he set to work.


	6. Chapter 6

"So have you gotten in contact with S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Zakk asked.

They were sitting in a tub Clint had found out back. He had patched it up then filled warmed water from the lake. He enticed Zakk into it with the promise of a good meal. She had entered the warm water with a happy sigh. The wound on her thigh had been healing nicely and it didn't throb nearly as bad.

Clint rubbed the water off his face and shook his head. "No, I haven't been able to make contact at all. We're too far out of Wi-Fi range and if I use a satellite phone it can be tracked. We're on silence until we get into Helsinki. Can you survive until then?"

A glorious smile erupted on her face before she kicked him under the water. He loved seeing her like this. Happy and on the mend. It was the way she should have been. It was a shame that someone had used her so badly she was scarred. She was too wonderful for him to allow someone to beat on her.

He pulled her across the tub and kissed her, his hands going into her hair as he held her head. When he leaned back she smiled at him then climbed from the tub. He followed after emptying the tub. She was already dress when he returned, her pants slung low on her hips. Her tank top clung to her flat abs and peeked out from underneath his old t-shirt she had stolen from him back at the other safe house and cut shorter. It looked like it was from the eighties.

He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her shoulder. "What do we have here?"

"I figured we'd have breakfast for dinner, since it's the only thing I can actually cook." She looked over her shoulder to stuff a piece of bacon in his face. "Try it."

He did and smacked his lips in appreciation. "That's good but I told you I'd cook."

"You said that when I was hurt. I'm on the mend and better than I was a week ago."

It had been a week since they had come to the cabin. He was certain his boss and partner were looking for him but since he couldn't get in contact with them, they had to be scouring every inch of Finland. In that week, Zakk had made progress in her recovery.

"I guess you're right." He laughed when she smacked him in the gut. He leaned in for a kiss then finished chewing the piece of food in his mouth.

They had their dinner of eggs and bacon and pancakes. When the dishes were done and night was falling, they curled up on the bed and watched the fire dance in the fireplace. After that one night they hadn't indulged their basic instincts but they continued to sleep together. They had grown closer because of it.

"You know I was thinking," he said as he watched the fire crackle. "Maybe you should join S.H.I.E.L.D. You have all the makings of an expert and we could always use your expertise with explosives and whatnot."

"Are you asking me to be your partner because I think you already have one," she replied.

"If Nat's anything, she's my best friend. We've been through a lot together." He looked down where her head was rested on his chest. "Are you jealous?"

She snorted. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, usually in situations like ours, the girlfriend gets mad at the boyfriend's closeness with his partner."

She sat up and looked at him. "I'm you girlfriend?"

He frowned then nodded. "Yeah, I kinda think you are." He watched her reaction. "What is it?"

"All my life I've been cooped up in a training facility with no connection with the outside world, except when I escaped. I'd see couples together and see how happy what they were and how much in love. It made me wonder what it was like. Then I found Sonia and understood the connection of another person, how much people needed each other." She looked at him. "I haven't been so calm since…ever. What is it about you that does it?"

"I don't know. Maybe our need of human connection drove us together. It could be anything really."

"But you're always around other people."

"Correction: Natasha's the only person I deem to be around on a regular basis. And I don't count the people I'm forced to exterminate as people I hang around. So you're a first."

Zakk stared at him for a moment. She knew he was an assassin. She had figured that out when he used a bow and arrow against their pursuers on the road. Who knew he was so humane and sensual.

Without warning, she leaned forward and kissed him. Clint laughed as his hands found her waist and began tugging at her shirt. Soon the two were in the throes of passion and couldn't be stopped even if an airstrike came from Russia.

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"We've called in the Avengers Initiative."

Natasha looked at Maria as the woman began to babble about where they were at finding Barton. Three weeks. Three weeks had flown by since any information about the agent had been found. This wasn't like Clint to be out of communication for so long. She remembered the woman they had taken in had been hurt. It meant Clint had gone into hiding with her.

"The others have assembled and are waiting for your orders, considering you know Agent Barton better than any of us."

She nodded as she walked into the briefing room. Everyone was assembled. Thor stood talking with Dr. Banner. Steve and Tony were talking with Fury who seemed to be annoyed.

"Agent Romanoff," Fury said as he caught her eye. "Good you could make it. Have you heard anything on Barton?"

"The safe house was compromised, destroyed even. Upon further investigation, we found none of our equipment had been in the rubble. Barton and the charge managed to collect it all before they were attacked. So we called around. It seems the car Barton had been given was totaled in Finland. It wasn't shot or anything but it was wrecked in a forward facing position. We think they escaped and are in hiding somewhere near the lake region near the Russian border," she explained.

"How can you concur that?"

"Finland has a big hunting region on the Asia side. There are thousands of cabins there. They could have taken refuge in any one of them and we have no way to get in contact with him." If she could, she would have punched something.

"And the woman? Is she okay?" Steve asked.

"Yes, she was fine last time I saw her."

"Good because we have new information on the Wilhelm work." Stark threw up information to the screen. "He's been trying to make the perfect super solider. Zakk Parker was just the beginning. She was taken from her home at age two and raised in a closely organized facility. She was trained in explosives, mix martial arts, weaponry, piloting and many other areas of war. Her reaction times were better than anyone every trained by any military all over the world. In essence, she is the best assassin ever bred. If Wilhelm gets his hands on her, he will use all the data he has on her, brainwash her and use her to go after anyone he deems fit. Then once she becomes obsolete, he'll kill her."

"Are we certain Barton kept a hand on her when they care was wrecked?" Fury asked.

"We didn't find any drag marks that indicated someone had pulled them from the wreckage. About five feet from the wreckage, there were two jump sites, one on either side of the road. I think they bailed from the car before it wrecked."

"So Barton got his hand on Wilhelm's prized warrior and has her shacked up somewhere in the Finnish woods? Is that even ethical?" Steve asked.

"It has nothing to do with ethics. Barton's mission was to find the girl and keep her safe until she was able to return here. My guess would be he's doing his job. Until we figure out where he's at, we classify him a prisoner and get to work rescuing him. We'll activate the tracking chip in his bow."

"Bounce it off Russian towers then scramble it. Wilhelm's German. He'll be monitoring everything in the German vicinity." Fury nodded and disbanded them all to go on their mission.


	7. Chapter 7

"Zakk, run!" Clint yelled as he laid cover fire.

"I'm not leaving you behind!" she replied.

They had been making plans to get to meet their connection in Helsinki when Zakk had suddenly gotten quiet and walked to the door. Clint had learned from the first time that she obviously knew when they were about to be attacked. He started packing everything and had it all ready to when Zakk grabbed him and shoved him to the floor. The windows exploded inward, spewing glass and shrapnel everywhere.

They had taken off out the door and delved into the woods. When they stopped, Clint extended his bow just as Zakk started shoving weapons in every crevice of her pants. He had never seen so many weapons on a woman, even Natasha. As they were caught up to, she threw a small bomb to distract them. As they back peddled, she hit the detonator and it exploded, sending bushes and shrubs everywhere.

Another explosion rocked the ground and a huge fireball came at them. Clint grabbed her and shoved her into a small foxhole type area to wait it out. It rolled over them, singeing their hair and skin. When they stood up, Zakk pulled a dagger from her many hidden sheaths and sliced it through her hair, cutting the singed strands and leaving her hair short and spiky. Clint stared in shock at her. She barely cast her eyes at him as she jumped up and began moving again. He had to scramble to catch up to her.

He was kind of surprised at her quickness. Yeah, she had been injured when she had come under his protection and that only lasted so long. She was quick and agile as they ran through the woods. The places he had to duck to run under didn't give her any problem as she darted under them with maybe an inch or two to spare.

He watched as she scaled a tree with ease and became look out. He would have rather been up in the air but if she was there, she was safer than down on the ground with him. They needed to get to Helsinki and if he got hurt, so be it. There was no way he was going to allow her to get hurt.

"How did they find us?" she asked as she sat on the bottom branch and looked down at him. She pulled a granola bar from her pocket and smiled when he made a face. Sly little minx.

"I guess they found due to the tracking chip in my bow. They put it there for times like this. I guess the bounced it off the wrong tower or didn't scramble it enough." He rubbed his head. "Geez. Will these guys ever give up?"

"Do you want the honest answer or the smartass one?" She smiled as he raised an eyebrow at her. "They won't stop, even if Wilhelm is dead. I'm part of something called the Ultimate Soldier Experiment. I was the first one they trained and developed and they're going to use my data to create more. Technically they don't need me. They can simply start training toddlers and be as successful. It really doesn't matter if they have the original or not. I'm expendable."

"And you've resigned yourself to this fact?"

She shrugged as she chewed. "I don't have any family. The people I dropped Sonia off with promised to take care of her until she turned eighteen. Then she can be on her own. I don't want her running with me. It's not for her."

"And it's for you?"

Another shrug. "I'm used to it. I've been running for the last five years."

He walked to the base of the tree and looked up at her. "And what about me?"

"What about you?"

"What about this? What we have? What are you going to do when this is all over and where does it leave me?" Zakk looked down at him but didn't say anything. He could see all of her thoughts flash across her face. "Come down here."

She slid down to the forest floor. Without a word, he grabbed her and kissed her hard. No answer at all was bothering him. He couldn't force her to stay with him but he wanted to remind her of what they had when they were together.

He was slightly surprised when she allowed him to loosen the belt on her pants then shove them down. He hoisted her up with her legs around his waist and pushed. He watched the look on her face as he moved. His face contorted as she pressed back against him, causing the friction to build quickly. This was probably the most erotic thing her hand ever done. No woman had enticed him as much as Zakk had.

He rocked hard and felt her grip his shoulders tightly. She suddenly began to flex around him. It forced him to hold out as long as he possibly could and that wasn't very long at all. His own pleasure was ripped from him as she wrapped her entire body around his. He stood there for a little while, panting and kissing the side of her neck as he mumbled soothing words into her ear.

"Are you alright?" he asked as they stood apart from each other after rearranging themselves.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You've given me a lot to think about," she replied with a slight blush to her cheeks.

He held his hand out to her. "Let's keep moving."

She suddenly pulled him to a stop a few feet from where they started. "Wait, Clint." He stopped and looked at her, their hands still linked. "When this is all said and done, I don't know what I'm going to be doing. I don't know if the other facilities and Wilhelm's buyers will be coming after me. My life is a whole bunch of unknowns. I don't know where I'll end up but I know I want live and I want to share my life with someone."

She bit her lip as she turned her head away from him. Finding her nerve she finally told him the one thing that could break this whole thing. "I can't have children, Clint. They made sure of that when I was a kid. I can't have a normal most women can. So if you can take all that then maybe there's something there. If not, I can't do it."

Clint looked at her. So that's what had been bothering her for the last few days. She was worried about all the dysfunctions that could impede his future as well. The fact that she was worried about him made him happy. Smiling he took hold of her head and kissed her forehead.

"Come on. Let's keep moving."

Zakk nodded and took his hand again. He led them through the woods and back to the main road. They walked along it for a while, dodging back into the bushes when they heard someone coming down the street. It gave them time to think.

"Clint!" They both turned around as a HUMVEE came barreling down the road. Natasha was in the front seat with four other men and others in the car or following on motorcycles.

"It's Nat," he said with a huge smile on his face. He walked up to the driver's door as the big rig came to a screeching halt and threw his arms around the red head when she jumped down. "I didn't think I'd see you this soon."

"We got the tracking chip on line just in case but then it backfired on us." She looked over his shoulder. "What's she doing?"

Clint turned around. Zakk was looking down the road away from them, her head cocked to the side. "Someone's coming and I don't think they're friendlies." He watched as she pulled the pieces of her weapon out and put them together, loading the cartridge then slinging her bag back on her shoulder. "Oh, yeah. We're in trouble. You might want to get ready. We're about to get bombarded."

A black car came speeding towards them. Zakk lifted the semiautomatic and emptied the clip. The car wasn't bulletproof so the small caliber bullets did some damage. Zakk slung the emptied gun to her back and stood there doing absolutely nothing. Clint grabbed her arm.

"You made your point. Let's go," he said. As she turned to move with him, one of the guys who were running towards them fired a shot. A gun rang loud and clear, dropping the guy like a fly. "Thanks, Nat."

"No problem. Let's go."

Clint helped Zakk into the back seat and sat beside her as she disassembled the gun once again. She had closed up like that and it made him wonder how much it would take for her to be a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** Now I only started this last night and it's almost done.

Some of the chemical stuff is made up so don't bother looking it up. I suck at science so I just it up as I go along.

Hope you enjoy. Please Rate!

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Zakk lay in bed and bit her lip. It was something she did when something wasn't sitting right with her or when she was nervous. And she was wide awake which could be good or bad. Clint was beside her sound asleep, his face pressed against her shoulder and arm over her waist. He had been sleeping better since they had returned to his base and his bed. He was more relaxed than she had ever seen him.

Not wanting to wake him, she slid out from under his arm and slipped into some of his pants. She would go work out to get the stress out of her system. She remembered her way to the training deck and made it there in record time.

Her mind worked over time as she got on the treadmill to get her cardio working before going on to something else. Working out always helped her clear her mind, even when she lived at the facility. Every time she got to the programmed speed, she'd jack it up until she was running in a flat out sprint. She could feel the blood pumping in her ears as adrenaline coursed through her veins.

When she was satisfied with her progress, she turned off the treadmill. Without even a cool down regiment, she went to the punching bag. She had never wrapped her hands before so there was no need to start as she laid into the bag with such fervor she thought it would burst and sand would fly all over the place. Jab, jab, uppercut, roundhouse kick, scissor kick, cross. That was how she worked. On the final punch, the bag came swinging back a little too fast. It caught her in the chest, knocking the wind out of her as she flew back. Instinct kicked in and she back flipped to catch herself. She finally just sat in the floor to catch her breath.

This place was just like the facility, only they trained soldiers and spies and demigods and men in iron and men who had been injected with serum that made them indestructible. It had all the hi-tech equipment but it was so… professional. She preferred to work out the old-fashion way, with weights and the body.

"You've got everyone gasping in shock." She turned around as Clint walked into the room. "When anyone comes to work out, their vitals are closely monitored and the data transferred to the doctors. The doctors here don't know what to think of your stats so they called Banner in to look at it. Even he didn't know what to do so they called me. I naturally had to investigate because you weren't in bed when I woke up." He walked over to where she was and sat down, crossing his ankles and wrapping his arms around his knees. "What's wrong?"

"Something's wrong," she replied.

"Define wrong, Zakk."

She stood and started pacing around the room. "They wouldn't have let me go so easily. That detail that showed up in Finland was a recon team. No wonder they didn't have bullet proof cars. They were only there to record who would come to help me. They know who you are and they're going to attack when you're vulnerable. The only question is when that will be and where."

"Whoa, Zakk. You're speaking too fast. You're sure this is what's going to happen?"

"Clint, I was trained for this. I was trained to think like you and take you down."

He nodded. "I know. Now if you were Wilhelm and you had to take down S.H.I.E.L.D., what would you do?"

She bit her lip again as she started wracking her brain for what she would do should she be in this situation. What would she do? S.H.I.E.L.D. was such a large organization that trained master assassins and spies who had a great track record with bringing down their targets. She was looking at one of the master assassins right then and wondered how many people Clint had taken down with his arrows.

"Masters," she said suddenly. It was an idea. "Clint, where are the files?"

He made a face as he thought. "Probably on the bridge with Fury. Why?"

"Come with me." She left the training room and took off at a dead run to the bridge. By the pounding of feet she knew he was following her. "Fury," she said once she got on the bridge. "I need to see the ledgers for all your assassins for the last fifteen years."

"Miss Parker, that information is classified," Fury replied as he tried to catch the single-minded woman.

"Well, then un-classify it or I will hack into your systems."

Fury looked to Clint. "Barton, what do you have to say to this?"

"Single-minded to the point of recklessness." That's all he said and he was quoting her file.

"We can play this two ways, Director. Either you can give me the information I need to stop Wilhelm or you stand there like a bump on the log and watch as your facility is destroyed as well as the rest of your operatives."

"You think the others are in danger?" Natasha asked.

"I don't think. I know they are. And if we don't get moving they won't be here very much longer." She whirled on Clint who looked surprised. "You said single-minded to the point of recklessness. I learned it from Wilhelm, to only think of the mission when on a mission. I'm on a mission and I mean to get my man, just like I was trained. Are you going to hinder that?"

Clint recognized the stony glaze in her blue eyes. She had worn that when they were running from the cabin two days ago. He had seen the way she handled herself during the fight. She was effective.

"Sir, if anyone can take out Wilhelm, it's her. She's seen the worst of him and knows his weak points. Let her see the information. She's the only one who can decipher it," he said.

Fury looked between the two and tried to decipher the look that passed between them but decided against it. "Fine. Maria, bring up the files."

Zakk moved the screen and began to watch as the names scrolled along it. Everyone else looked at each other, not really understanding how she could be reading something at that speed. She was on the last list when suddenly she stopped the list and scrolled back up. Her eyes suddenly lit up with a mischief that Clint began to wonder if this was such a good idea.

"He's mad because an operative from S.H.I.E.L.D. killed his father ten years ago. His was on a good will mission to Uganda when his ship was blown to bits by a rocket. When scouring the wreckage, one word survived: S.H.I.E.L.D. My best guess would be he started the Ultimate Soldier Experiment to get back at you and your predecessors."

"What do you propose we do?" Fury's question fell on deaf ears as Zakk suddenly started going over schematics. "What is she doing?"

Clint smiled. "Hacking our systems."

"If I'm correct, Wilhelm will attack at…." She moved things around, tossed them from the screen then spun something around. "There. He'll attack the underground base at in Libya." She turned around. "If you give me a computer I can hack my way into his systems and find out the exact time and day. It'll be cleaner and more efficient to know what we're doing than be blindsided."

Fury looked at her. She looked so young but she was in her thirties and ever as bit able to take care of herself as anyone in this room. She had been doing for thirty years. She was quite capable of it.

"Dr. Banner, take her to your office and allow her whatever she needs."

Bruce nodded and took the woman by the arm to lead her to the office.

Three hours later, the others were sitting in somewhat quiet discomfort as they watched the woman type furiously on the computer. Bruce was watching as fast as he possibly could but she would bring something up then send it away, making it impossible to do anything worthwhile. So they sat there watching and waiting.

Clint felt the sudden urge to bit her lower lip. She kept biting it and he knew she did that when she was engulfed in something or nervous. Sighing he walked over to her, crossing his arms across his chest and staring with such intensity at the screen.

"He changed all the codes. I'm able to crack it, but it's taken me a while," she mumbled to him.

"Can you do it?" he asked.

"I can do it. It's just taken too damn long. By the time I find it out, I may be too late."

Not caring that the others were in the room watching intently, he rubbed his hands up and down her bare shoulders then kissed her left one, right on the crisscrossed scar. "You can do it. I have faith in you."

"Got it. Tomorrow at noon with subatomic weapons." Her last sentence came out as a gasp of horror. "He can't do that."

"Do what? And what are subatomic weapons?" Stark asked.

"It's something they were developing when I was being trained. You know the Drain-O Max and how the chemicals are in separate portions of the bottle?"

"Is it separated?" Bruce asked.

"Something like that. An atom is split and the nucleus is put in one part of the bomb and the electron cloud in the other. When the bomb is dropped, as it free falls the nucleus and electron cloud are suddenly forced together and upon impact they are forcefully shoved together that they forced each other back, causing a huge explosion and unmentionable damage." She looked at Fury. "You think the tessaract was dangerous? You have no idea what natural atoms found in nature can do at 400 tons per square inch."

They stared at each other for the longest. Fury was absorbing information and Zakk wasn't going to take her eyes off him until he forfeited her idea. She was right about this and he needed to know she was the only one who could get rid of that bomb but she wasn't going to tell him immediately.

"All right, Avengers. Suit up. You're headed to Libya."

"What about Zakk, sir?" Clint asked. Everyone looked at him. "Sir, she's the one Wilhelm wants. What if we use her as bait?"

"Clint, you can't be serious?" Natasha said. "You just kept her safe for a month and a half and now you want her to almost kill herself? That doesn't make sense."

"Of course it does," Bruce said. Heads swung to him. "Wilhelm wants her alive no matter what only so he can kill her. He wants S.H.I.E.L.D. to burn because of what they did to his father." He looked at Zakk. "Your file says you can pilot anything that flies. Is that true?" She nodded somberly as she licked in the inside of her mouth. His attention went back to Fury. "Put her in a S.H.I.E.L.D. plane and send her to ground zero. The closer she is to danger the farther she is from harm."

Fury swung his gaze to Clint. "Are you okay with this? She is your charge so the final say is yours."

Hawkeye turned slowly to look at her. He met those electric blues and saw the spark in them even though their owner looked at him steadily without an inflection on her face. In the last month and a half he hadn't figured anything out about this woman other than she was very charismatic and hated being tied down.

"Agent Barton, what's your answer?"

Clint looked back at him. "It's fine by me."

"Okay. We fly out at midnight. Get as much sleep as you can muster."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Again I made up military stuff. I have no idea what it means but as I was writing it came to me.

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Zakk ran her fingers through Clint's hair as he laid sprawled atop her in their bed. She had left the office and went back to the training room to finish her work out. When she returned to the room, Clint was already there reading the brief from their next mission. She hadn't made it two feet in the door when he was all over her. She had allowed it with the feeling that she may never come back from this mission.

He had been as gentle with as he had the first time but secretly she wished he would be a little rougher, like he had been the day in the woods before his partner had found them. She had liked that side of him. It was the take charge side that she hadn't seen at all.

Apparently she had said it out loud because he looked up from her abruptly then smiled. Before she could say anything, he had jerked her by the ankles to the middle of the bed and used all his upper body strength to keep him above her at the same time he pushed deeper. And boy was it deeper than it had ever been and with more power rippling over their skin.

Now they were tired but enjoying the after effect. Clint was breathing gently with one arm thrown across her waist and the other resting by her head on the bed. He was slightly heavy but she wasn't going to tell him that.

He lifted his head and looked at her with a wicked smile. She shook her head at his unspoken question. Groaning he buried his face in her chest and snorted, his hot breath tickling between her breasts. She lifted his head with both hands on either said of his face and kissed him. When she pulled back, he licked his lips then opened his eyes.

"I feel some sort of disturbance." His eyes narrowed on her. "What's wrong?"

She tilted her head at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, in the last month and a half since our little thing started, you only kiss me when something's bothering you. Now what's bothering you?"

She looked over at him as he settled beside her, making sure to keep his right leg draped in between her legs. He settled his head on his palm and pierced her with a steady blue eyed gaze.

"It's about the mission. What if something happens and one of us doesn't make it back? It will be all my fault."

"Why do you say that?"

"I'm the one Wilhelm wants. I should have just gone back and maybe all this could have been avoided."

"If you had gone back, he would have killed you right on the spot and still come after S.H.I.E.L.D. It wouldn't have mattered. So don't be thinking that."

"This is your team, Clint. You're Hawkeye of the Avengers. It means something to you."

"You mean something to me. Yes, I'm part of the Avengers but that's only because I did some things when I was possessed and I promised myself I'd never be that helpless again. It's something I'm doing for me, and maybe Nat. Would I be upset if something happened to them? Yes, but I'd be even more upset if something happened to you. If you haven't noticed I don't give myself very freely to people."

"You know my track record."

He laughed and buried his face in her neck. "Yeah, I know, and I'm honored to be your first. But I want you to be around."

"Then why did you agree to the mission?"

"Because you need it to be free. If you're free, you can do what you want and live where you want." He started kissing her neck.

"It's all for my benefit?"

"Yep, all for you. Now can we do something for my benefit?"

She laughed.

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Clint followed closely behind the fighter plane Zakk was piloting. The woman was a speed demon. He hadn't been surprised when she jumped in the cockpit of the plane Fury had provided. She had expertly strapped herself into the seat then pulled on the helmet and slipped on the facemask. After being given the green, she had taken off with him right behind her.

Stark was keeping paces with her and Thor was flying beside him. Natasha was in the co-pilot's chair with Steve and Bruce behind him. The Hulk didn't like to fly but it was better than him flying on top of it.

"What's your twenty, Crossfire?" Clint asked. He had lost sight of the plane minutes before as they came into Egyptian airspace.

"3 Mark 4-5-2. Coming in to Libyan airspace," she replied. He swore he heard the smile in her voice as he called her by the nickname Fury had come up with minutes before takeoff.

"She's too far ahead of us," Natasha whispered beside him.

"Stark, make sure she doesn't get too close. We don't want anything to happen just yet," he said into his microphone.

"You got it."

"Heat seeking missiles three o'clock!" Zakk said suddenly.

"Hang on." He grabbed the joystick in front of him and yanked it to the left, forcing the ship into a barrel roll. When he came out of it, he shook his head. "Everyone okay?"

"Could be better," Steve said.

"Don't ever do that again," Bruce replied.

"Hawkeye, we got some friends," Stark said.

"Take care of them."

The battle in the air wasn't as quick as they hoped they'd be. More planes kept shooting out of nowhere. Until they figured out where they were launching from there was nothing they could. It was just like the tessaract portal. They had to close the portal.

"Son of a bitch!" Stark's curse was sudden and scared them all.

"What is it, Stark?" Clint asked as he concentrated on piloting the plane as Natasha shot as many from the sky as she could before he moved and got into a better position.

"Zakk's been shot down."

"What?" He looked sharply to his left where he had last seen her. "How did that happen?"

"A rocket got past me and hit her right wing. She ejected but I don't know where she is."

"Bruce, go!"

Soon the big green guy was hurtling towards the ground.

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Zakk spit the sand from her mouth as she climbed from the rubble of her plane. Unfortunately for her she had landed in the middle of her destroyed plane. She licked her lip and felt blood dribbling down her chin. Well, this was great.

"Good of you to join us, Zakk."

She turned at the voice. Standing behind her was Wilhelm Masters, genius and inventor. The man who had oversaw all of her training for the last twenty years, finishing his father work. He stood at six foot two, effectively dwarfing her five foot one stature. With sandy hair and brown eyes, he could be the poster boy for any type of modeling agency. As it was he was a sicko who thought he could control soldiers.

"I see you have found people to help you," he said as he took a step over the sand. "You've been very hard to catch but that could also be because I have trained you so well that you understand how you should move." She kept her mouth shut and stared at him. It always unnerved him.

And it did just then as well. "Speak to me, damn it!" He seemed to realize he had just lost his composure. He adjusted his tie and smiled. "Who's the person who cut your beautiful hair? I always did adore it long."

"If you're going to kill me, get on with it. I don't care what happens to me now, but you better not touch the others. I will come back and haunt your ass."

He smiled. "So it seems you've taken a liking to the people of S.H.I.E.L.D. Have they told you the truth of your parentage?" She tilted her head to the side and listened. "Your parents were S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives. Your mother quit to have you. When she did, they came in and killed her. My father took you in and thought you would be the best person to take out S.H.I.E.L.D. once you learn of what they had done to your parents." He noticed she hadn't said a word to him.

Zakk inched closer to him slowly. "Give me the detonator for the subatomic particle bomb and I'll leave you alone."

"Why would I do that? Because you batted those electric blues and asked nicely? I don't think so. When I get you back in the lab, trust that we will have a come to reality moment. Get her."

Five men in black ambushed her. Out of nowhere, the Hulk landed and started plowing through them. Zakk took the moment to charge Wilhelm. They went tumbling in the sand as they grappled for the detonator. He got in one good shot and it was good enough to knock her back. He grabbed the detonator and pushed the button. Zakk stopped immediately as he pointed a gun at her face and stood up slowly.

"Now, come with me voluntarily or I will send you back to S.H.I.E.L.D. in a body bag. Let's go." He smiled when she took a step towards him. "Good. Let's go." He stopped suddenly, his eyes widened. He looked down at the tip of an arrow that a protruded from his chest. He had enough energy to turn around. Hawkeye stood there with his bow lifted and his arm back because he had just fired.

"That's for hurting her in the first place." He watched him die with a scowl on his face. Then he was at her side instantly. "Are you okay?" She nodded distractedly. "Good."

"What about the detonator?"

"Shit!" She turned around and ran back to where it had fallen. Just as she picked it up, the bomb exploded, sending sand and debris up into the air. She heard Clint yell on the other side. When everything settled, she was still standing but hacking up sand. "Geez, why can't I get a break from explosives?"

Clint caught her in a bear hug, pressing her face into his shoulder. "Woman, don't do that again."

"I didn't plan it. It just happened." She coughed into his shoulder and then brought her hands up to hug him as tightly as he was her. "I'm okay, Clint."

"I know, but I just want to hold you for a moment." She held him for a few moments before she pulled away. It was still night and she was getting tired. He looked down and nodded. "Yeah, I get it."

Everyone filtered down and around them. They made sure everyone was okay and they all looked a little worse for wear. Thor smiled at everyone when he realized everyone was safe and ready to go home. He looked at Zakk and stepped back.

"What is it?" Steve asked.

"She's looking at me weirdly," he replied.

Clint laughed when he looked at the short woman. "She's planning something."

"Since my plane's dead, I need a ride back. Thor, can I ride with you as you fly back?" His head snapped back to Clint who shrugged. "I've never flown outside of a plane. It looks fun."

Thor laughed at her forwardness then nodded. "Come on." She smiled and wrapped her arm around his neck. "We'll meet you back on the craft." After spinning his hammer, he launched them in the air. All that was heard was Zakk's laughter.

"She's some woman," Stark said.

Clint nodded. "That she is."


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** This is the final chapter. I really liked writing about my favorite Avenger. So please tell me how I did on this one.

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Clint landed hard, groaning as pain shot up us arm. Shifting he pulled his sore appendage from under him and shook it for good measure.

"This isn't a killing session," he said as he got to his feet.

"You told me to show you what I had. I did. It's not my fault you can't remember to keep you chest guarded. And FYI, if I had kicked you any harder, it would have broken your sternum."

"You know what I think?"

"That I'm incredibly strong and you can't live without me?"

He smiled. "Well, you are incredibly strong and no, I'm beginning to think I can't live without you, but I also think you're getting too big for you britches. Come here."

Zakk's smile widened as he came after her. Turning, she fled into the woods.

After everything that had happened, Clint had told her about where he lived. It was off the grid and out in the woods. It was in the Appalachians in Virginia simply because if he needed to be found it was easier. His cabin was built against the mountain so no one could sneak up on him.

He had brought her to his home and made sure she knew this was her place as well. There was a training area just outside the cabin. They sparred every day and Clint usually got his butt handed to him no questions asked. He was a trooper about it. Most days. Today wasn't one of those days.

Zakk yelped as Clint dove to take her down. They tumbled down the hill, laughing the entire way. Luckily the hill had been cleared and there was nothing there that would cause serious harm. When they rolled to the bottom, they were laughing so hard they couldn't breathe.

Clint rolled to his left, right on top of Zakk and pinned her down with his body. She was laughing, her chest and belly rising and falling against him. He smiled down at her.

"Can you believe this?" he asked.

"Believe what? You're lying on top of me? That's not too farfetched," she replied between bouts of laughter.

He shook his head and laughed. "No, not that. This. Us. Out here alone. I never thought they'd leave you alone after Wilhelm was killed."

What he was talking about was S.H.I.E.L.D. had interrogated her to the fullest about the other facilities like the one she had been brought up in. She had told them everything, even going so far as to giving them the other locations splayed out all over Europe. Then they wanted her on those missions. Clint had had a hard time getting his named signed on to the rosters because there was no way he was allowing her to go with anyone else.

They had freed thousands of people from the facilities, mostly teenagers and young adults. None of them understood what had been going on so they had been piled into military trucks and sent to hospitals to make sure nothing had been done to them that would get the men and woman in charge in more trouble than they had been.

When that was done, Fury had called her in, dismissing Clint who had been her constant companion since they had killed Wilhelm. Hawkeye had paced the entire place with Natasha watching him vastly amused. He was usually in on everything that was going on. Now since the woman in question was the one person he had nearly given his life to protect, and the woman his partner was certain he had fallen in love with, he was on edge.

The doors opened and Zakk shook Fury's hand before walking on. Clint had been buzzing to know what had been talked about and why he hadn't been included in on the discussions but Zakk remained tight lipped as they walked down the hall. She had walked to their quarters they were sharing and stopped. There on the bed was a S.H.I.E.L.D. jacket and issued weapons. He couldn't help it when she smiled at him he grabbed her and kissed her hard. She was going to stay.

Ever since then they had hidden away in Virginia, running rampant among the bears and deer. It was there version of a Cajun hideaway except they weren't in the bayou or in Louisiana.

She shifted under him, wrapping her legs around his waist. When she twisted, he landed on his back with her above him. He smiled up at her as he rested his hands on her thighs.

"Actually I was thinking more along the lines of that you wanted me to remain after you saw what actually went on in those facilities. All those children and teens and adults. That's how it all went down," she said.

"I told you it bothered me but as long as you were fine, I was okay as well." He pulled her face down to be leveled with his. "You're not going anywhere."

She smiled. "Wouldn't dream of it." They stared at each other for a few minutes until he got a glint in his eye. She tilted her head. "Clint." He sat up then suddenly jumped to his feet, keeping her wrapped around him. He felt her laughing at his neck. "Clint, what are you doing?"

"We're going back to the house. What I have planned is going to be fun."

She laughed as he half walked, half ran back to the cabin. She spun around to where she was riding on his back. When they broke the tree line, they saw a familiar truck. Cling cursed angrily.

"Natasha," he said when they got to the front porch. "Why are you here?"

The red head assassin smiled knowingly as she saw Zakk on her partner's back. There was no doubt about what they were going inside to do. "I hate to ruin your honeymoon stage but we got a job and Fury wants Zakk in on it."

Clint shifted his head to look over his shoulder at her. She nodded against his ear. "All right, let's go. But you owe me big time."

"Don't I always?"

Zakk slid to the ground then jumped in the back of the truck. Another job with Clint and Natasha. This was going to be as interesting as ever. The truck peeled away from the mountain hideout but the occupants were sure to return. Zakk sat forward and wrapped her arms around Clint's neck as they were debriefed, a silent message passing between them instantly. They were in this together.

END


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